A common complaint of yearly sports franchises is that releases often feel like a mere roster change, or a fresh coat of paint on an already existing structure. Obviously large sweeping changes take time to introduce, and only so much can be done in a year, so these complaints do sometimes hold some validity to them. I don’t suspect any of these complaints will be lobbed at Madden NFL 18, though. EA Tiburon has done a lot for the 2017 installment of their football giant, and that hard work has paid dividends.
This is a complete overhaul, and it can be seen on a base level since Madden NFL 18 is no longer using the IGNITE engine, and is now on Frostbite. This leads to some impressive graphics, and it’s really used to the title’s advantage in its story mode as they are able to nail the actors’ performances. Furthermore, this year’s Madden includes a cooperative twist on Ultimate Team, and some big gameplay changes that should help more players be able to jump in and start having fun immediately. It’s really impressive how much has been done in just a single year, and that the game hasn’t lost any mainstays in the process. As alluded to earlier, the biggest new addition is a story mode called Longshot. I found the mode compelling enough to write a full review of it, but here’s how I summed up the experience:
Electronic Arts isn?t the first company I think of when I think about taking risks with established franchises, but I?...